20 Answers to the Question: What Does It Take to Blog?

I will be 44 tomorrow and have no background in computer or technology of any kind. It is my limited understanding that those bloggers that do(yourself included) orbit in a Internet universe separate from the countless numbers of individuals like myself, who set up a blog with little or no information or understanding of the Blog world. I liken this to waking up in a foreign land, with no information, no language and know knowledge of the land I am in.

Initially I had no idea there were millions of “others” out there and that there was a ways to find and connect to others with similar (or not) interests. The ability to do this turned into a wonderful experience of discovery that continues each day; however, I still am clueless to those like yourself and those bloggers like me and how we find each other and interact.

First of all, happy birthday. Second, you ask a good question that needs a good answer.

What Does It Take to Blog?

The answer to the question “what does it take to blog” is not just a simple answer to a simple question.

Basically, it takes a blogging tool, like WordPress.com, WordPress, Blogger, Movable Type, Typepad, or whatever tool you choose. It takes a host, a spot on the Internet to set up your blog. This could be a free hosted site like Blogger or WordPress.com, or a paid host where you pay “rent” to set up shop with your blog.

It takes a vision of what you want your blog to look like. Then you have to fill it with the words and images that inspired you to blog in the first place.

This is what it takes to blog.

Does it take computer expertise? It could. It depends. If you can fill out a form, you can blog.

If you want to play with your web page design, layout, dig into the code, make your blog spin and whirl and do headstands with code, then you can do whatever you want, within or beyond your capabilities.

I present a lot of computer, Internet, and blogging workshops and programs and my participants often quote me: “A computer is only as smart as the person using it.” If you want to do brilliant technical things, then it will do it. If you want to just type letters, you can buy a USD $1,500 glorified typewriter. You get out of it what you put into it.

It might seem overwhelming at first, with new words and new concepts, but once you understand that words, and figure out what the buttons do, it will only do what you tell it to do. From there, it’s up to you.

It takes very little skill to create a blog. Blogging is easy. But it takes a lot of skill to maintain it. That’s the question never asked.

What Does It Take to Keep a Blog?

Blogging is easy. You don’t need a college degree. Twelve and seventy year olds are blogging. The hard part is keeping a blog going? To blog day after day, to keep the stories, opinions, photographs, images, and effort going.

That’s the real skill. The one few ask. What does it take to keep a blog going?

12 Comments

While I like the article, I noticed your not linking Typepad, MT, Blogger (yech) etc.
I know you are in the team which helps on WP forums and are quite knowledgeable about WP, linking to them would make this article more fair.

I do not intend to criticize you, the post or your not linking them. You write very well and I love reading your blog for all the knowledge you share :) I just noticed the links and thought should mention it ;)

Definitely agree with the perseverance and the working without feedbback prerequisites. I started blogging two months ago and in the beginning it is hard not to get so much visits. When the blog start to get around more than 200 a day, it becomes easier and easier (that does not mean you have to work better). It is just you feel more and more confident about what you are doing.
Cocohttp://cocosworld.wordpress.com

I think that the reason for starting a blog has to be very clear in your mind: whether it’s to provide a news site for the world, a way to keep in touch with family and friends or just a way to get your thoughts and ideas on a page.

You can normally tell which ones don’t have this: they were started a year ago and have 5 posts, one of which is the obligatory “welcome to my new blog”. In many ways, knowing why the blog exists can mean that your list can be trimmed down by a point or two.

I do believe, however, that the blog has prevented the Tripod, Angelfire, etc etc sites from proliferating and growing more than they did at their heights. Blogs can be easy to set up and maintain, much like those early sites. Many of them have as much point to them as those websites, too ;)

Well, anyone can blog but as Sifry’s Technorati stats pointed out, not anyone can keep blogging. Personally though, what does it take for a person to keep blogging involves a few things.

1. Responsibility
2. The urge to rant instinctively.

To me, with just that, everything else comes naturally. You learn because you read more and you keep your writing within limits of right and wrong, you meet people who come to you because of the way you write and most importantly, when you believe that no one reads you, it doesn’t really matter because you’re doing what you want to do regardless and to a writer or a blogger for that matter isn’t it about what flows naturally that makes what you write good?

14, though? If I’m taking the spirit of your words in the right way, I’d be hesitant to concede that one.

Sure, we’ll all get knocked (I got slammed before I even started blogging, just from an article I wrote), but part of the journey, as I see it, is to learn how to experience those kinds of blows, and re-open our hearts as quickly as we can.

Callouses on our spirit only hurt us, by limiting our freedom to love… and don’t stop the slings and arrows.

I just read Your “Blog”, I never new what blogging was until I decided to ask some questions about it. I found Your blog very interesting and helpful. Do stay tuned, for I will be up and blogging soon.

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